


You're My Brother

by Mat_Neptune



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Gen, Oneshot, implied vandermatthews, my writing method is stream of consciousness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:15:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28122222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mat_Neptune/pseuds/Mat_Neptune
Summary: Arthur promises his only brother that he'll always protect him.Dedicated to Cara @markodragic on tumblr.
Relationships: John Marston & Arthur Morgan
Kudos: 21





	You're My Brother

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I know that in canon their age difference is ten years, but I cut that in half to five because I wanted them to both be children.

Dutch and Hosea brought a scrawny kid back to camp, fed him, dressed him, and told Arthur these simple words. “This is John, your new brother.” Arthur didn’t want a brother. He was fine on his own, being an only child, but it’s not like he had a choice. At first, he just ignored the kid as much as possible, drawing alone in camp or going on missions with Hosea or Dutch. When all four of them went on a mission together, Arthur saw just how much John meant to them. 

And to think there's not enough to make the boy pathetic, John can’t swim, he’s afraid of the water, and Arthur would tease him about it. “You’re afraid ‘cause you think you’ll drown, or are ya afraid of being clean?” The boy would just glare at him, turning his back on Arthur. 

_That_ sent a pain into his heart, he just realized how he made John feel all this time. 

That night, around the fire, Arthur didn’t talk to John, but he made the effort to sit closer to him. He could tell this pleased Hosea and Dutch, seeing them getting along as brothers. 

Hosea advised Arthur to take John fishing in the nearby river. Arthur agreed with a huff, he knew that fishing didn’t require much talking. So the boys rode off on Arthur’s horse together. 

They arrived at a relaxing secluded area by a river that flowed nicely and slowly. John was already setting up his tackle and bait. “You already know how to fish?” Arthur asked.

John lifted his head. “Hm? Oh, Hosea taught me how to fish.” A moment later, John casts his line out and sits comfortably, looking at the river. 

Arthur does the same thing, sitting with a gap between each other. He wants to talk to John, but he doesn’t know where to start. He fumbles some words in his head and lets them out. “How did you meet them?” 

John looks at Arthur, eyes widened a little. Then his expression grew sad, and he turned away. “They wanted to hang me…”

“Huh?! Dutch and Hosea?!” 

“No!” John whips his head back around. “No, um…. The people in that town…” The boy looks down, eyes glassy and on the verge of tears. 

Arthur was to say something, but he felt a pull on his line, and knew he had caught something. Reeling in a hearty trout, Arthur put it in the bucket. He cast his line out again, sitting closer to John. 

“What happened John?” Arthur asks in a quiet, patient voice. 

“I was just stealin’ some stuff, not even that many things, and they caught me and sentenced me to be hanged.” John cries and he reels in his fishing pole line, bringing in another trout. 

Arthur puts all the pieces in his head together, and understands why John is so upset-- traumatized. They sentenced an 8 year old kid to hang. He wraps an arm around John’s shoulder, giving him a hug. The still crying boy throws both of his arms around Arthur’s torso. 

They’re going to have to retire this fishing trip awful quickly. 

  
  


The next day was unpleasant. Lawmen invaded the camp, forcing everyone to fight or escape. And Arthur would’ve found if it weren’t that his baby brother had got shot in his leg. Scooping the boy up and getting on his horse, Arthur rode off with John in his arms. When they found a hidden place, Arthur quickly treated the boy’s wounds. John was crying but staying completely silent. 

“Hey,” Arthur says, the boy looking up. “Everything will be alright.”

“....What if they don’t make it?” John’s voice cracks.

Arthur gives a small chuckle. “It’s going to take a lot more than a random firefight for Dutch and Hosea to be brought down.” 

He looks at John, who looks scared and panicked for his only parents. 

“Listen John,” Arthur puts his hand on John’s shoulder, looking at him in the eye. “I will always protect you.”

John sniffles. “Really?”

“Really. Even if you drive me absolutely crazy, I will always protect you. You’re my brother.” 

John’s face lights up, happy. Happy to know that his brother loves him. They hug, and ride off to find Hosea and Dutch at a rendezvous point far to the west. 


End file.
